Midtown Beauty
by fajitaprincessa
Summary: AU! Edward Cullen is a self-diagnosed psychopath. A psychopath incapable of feeling love, or remorse, or anything like compassion to anything or anyone. But Bella knows this can't be true. Edward has to feel something for her, just this once.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

 **(Thank you "American Beauty" for inspiring this story)**

"I had never felt such a burning longing for anyone before I met you. I had never known what it felt like to be consumed by someone I love like how you consumed me. It was like I was being burned at the stake, the fire you surrounded me in.

I had never looked at someone and felt like I couldn't speak. It was as if you reached into my chest and roped out my lungs, as if you were crushing my windpipe with those calloused fingers of yours.

When you mouth met mine, it was like I had crawled miles without water, like my throat, my tongue, had never tasted the pleasure of water before. It was like being on the brink of dying, but then being pulled back.

I had never known the destructive side of love, like how you showed me. I had never know the way love could make me feel before I met you. I had never known the way love could make you sick, and dizzy, but also make you feel so good. Oh god, you made me feel so good.

Love makes you blind. It's as if my eyes had been burned with the heat of your passion, and as though you were the only thing on this earth that I could see. Everything else was so blurry... except you. You were, as clear as night and day, and I'd never known such a thing. I had never been so naive, so weak, so feeling, passionate before I met you.

And my God we're you beautiful. You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my goddamn life. Your lios, your eyes, your fingers on my skin, the way your skin smelled... you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. Even now... even now I think you're so beautiful. You're so beautiful, my god...

But you're so ugly. I don't know how that's possible, but you are so ugly inside, you make sick, I fucking hate your guts.

But I love you. I will always love you. And I hate it, because you are a monster, you are evil, and you don't love me how I love you, and it makes me sick to know that I'm in love with such an awful thing. It makes me sick to know that we share the same curse. It makes me sick to know that I love you, that I love something so evil, and twisted, and utterly fucking disgusting.

And I hate you. But I love you, too. And I don't know why, because you'll never feel the way I do..."

 **Don't forget to review if you have any constructive criticism or if you enjoyed reading this chapter.**

 **P.S I'm also incredibly excited for this particular story, because I've got SO many ideas for the long run, so your reviews would be greatly appreciated in my deciding if I want to take this story further.**


	2. Chapter One

"Bella..?"

"Yes mom?"

"Why don't you drive down to the pharmacy and get mama some sleeping medicine, huh sweetheart?"

"Yes mom."

I stood up from my spot in front of fhe TV and grabbed the twenty dollars from her outstretched hand, and slipped on a pair of slippers.

My dad was standing on our front porch, smoking a cigarette. He caught a glimpse of me and smiled. "You going out?"

"Yes dad."

"Where to?"

"The pharmacy, dad."

He grinned. He gestured towards his nearly empty bottle of moonshine. "You wanna do your daddy a favor and get me some more?"

"Yes dad." He smiled and pulled me close, hugging me.

"That's my girl... that's my sweet girl..." I pulled away and he placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek. He smelled like ethanol.

Then, he stumbled back into the house, undoubtedly to yell at my mother.

I slid into the old pickup we owned. My dad, Charlie, used to be a sheriff back in Arizona, where we used to live before we moved here, but after several bouts of alcoholism alcoholism a few instances of "unprofessionalism", they dumped him here, in this small, piece-of-shit town in the middle of Washington.

My mom used to be this low-budget movie star, but then she got into this brutal car accident, so she doesn't do much anymore but lie around and shovel prescription drugs down her throat to ease away the pain.

I passed through several other modest homes as I made my way down our empty street. Forks was small, so most of the houses on our block were unoccupied or home to old couples.

The pharmacy we always go to is almost run down into the ground, since every prefers going to the one that's closer to suburbia than the rural area, and it's run primarily by immigrants who aren't afraid to give you anything in the back without a presciption.

That's how they make money. They make profit off of all of the drug users who inhabit the surrounding area, and since nobody asks questions, they get away with it. You can tell, though, because they're always 2 or 3 of them hunched over in the chairs where the pharmacy section is in the small, sparsely stocked store.

It also smells always smells like vomit through the buckets of bleach they dump around a little bit before closing time to attempt to freshen it up. It doesn't work, of course, but it's something.

I grab about three bottles of benadryl and go to checkout, ignoring the stares of the druggies behind me, half-asleep, hunched over their shopping carts packed with a few bottles of pills and cough medicine.

"How much?"

"8.32," an older Asian woman says as she flips through a book.

I hand her a ten and she throws some ones and some change back at me. "Come again," she says, not looking up from her book.

Gotta love the customer service.

As I'm walking to my pick up, a tall, skinny boy with a beanie and a ripped up jacket calls out to me.

"You know there's stronger stuff then that, right?" He gestures to my bag of benadryl and stare at him, before stifling a small laugh.

"Oh, it's not for me," I open my car door and throw the bag inside on the floor on the passenger side. "It's for my mom. She gets pains sometimes."

"Oh," he said and a small smile crossed his face. "Right. Sorry. Now that you mention it that makes sense. You're too... clean-looking to be an addict."

I snorted. "Clean-looking?"

He nodded, grinning, showing his nearly white teeth. "Pretty. You don't live around here, do you?"

"No. I live... farther out." I'm slightly intrigued by the Adam's Apple that bobs when he speaks and the way a smile always plays on his lips as he speaks.

"Really?" He laughed again, this time lifting his head up more and brushing his hair out of his face. "You look like you'd live farther in town. You know, where all of the rich kids live."

"Well you were wrong,"I said, slightly amused. His green eyes twinkle and he places places a hand on the hood of my car. "I'm no addict."

Then, he threw his head back and laughed. I can feel heat under my skin beginning to rise and I swallowed, looking away.

"I'm no crack-addict. Haven't you seen my teeth?" He grinned. "See?"

"Then what's your thing, huh?" I tapped my chin, thinking. "Over-the-counters, then?"

"It wouldn't be very ethical of me to get high of my own supply now would it?" He flashed me a crooked smile and heat blooms under my skin.

"I have to go..." I started, and he frowned.

"Where to?" His fingers drummed along my hood. "We were having so much fun..." his head dipped and he stared at me for a moment.

"You want me to tell you my name?" I stifled a laugh. "You want me, to tell you, a drug dealer, my name?"

"I'll tell you mine..." He smiled again. "Edward..."

I pursed my lips before a smile creeps onto my face. "Edward... Edward?" I clasped my hand over my mouth and he watches me as I double over slightly, a series of giggles escaping through my lips. "Edward," I repeated. "You're a drug dealer named Edward?"

"Ouch..." He murmured, still watching me. His dark eyebrows pressed together. "I can't believe you're making fun of me."

"I'm sorry," I started but he shushed me, pressing a long finger to his lips.

"It's okay." His green eyes wandered across my face. "But it's only fair that I get to make fun of your name, now."

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was smart. But this was a small town, somehow, he'd find my name out either way. "Bella," I said, smiling.

"Bella," he repeated, and I nodded. "Can't really make fun of a name as beautiful as that, now can I?"

Oh. I'm sure that my cheeks are tinted a deep shade of crimson, and he laughed loudly again, lightly banging his hand on the hood of my car.

"I like you, Bell-a," he pronounced each syllable and a wry smile crossed my face.

He was very handsome, when you looked at him closely. Underneath the mess of dark hair, you could see two dark green eyes, and his nose had a very noticeable hump in it, probably from a series of fights. He had a very sharp, very defined facial structure, and he was incredible tall, so I had to tilt my head up slightly to speak to him. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips and he moved his hand from the hood of my car to grip the top of my cardoor.

"I'd like to see you again sometime, Bella," he said suddenly, and he tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer.

"Mm, Edward." I'm prepared for him to say something else, maybe try to pry my address out of me, or maybe the real reason why he was standing there, having a conversation as if we were two classmates, old friends. But he remained silent, observing.

So I hop into my car, but he gripped the cardoor, preventing me from shutting it. He leaned in slightly, and his warm breath tickled my face. He smiled a crooked smile. "I mean that, Bella. I. Want. To. See. You. Again." And then he leaned back, a thoughtful expression crossing his face before he grinned, the usual glint in his green eyes back.

"And I will."

Then, he turned and left, disappearing silently, and I was left in an empty lot, my door halfway open, as if he'd never even been talking to me in the first place, as if I was alone again.

I blinked. Moonshine. Charlie's moonshine. I remembered that I had to swing by the store in town to pick it up.

But even when the dense forest morph into grand houses and supernarkets, only one thought pounds against my school, almost giving me a headache.

Edward. Edward. Edward.

Yes, Edward.

Edward, and his crooked smile...

 **Don't forget to review... (PLEASE)**

 **Quinn**


	3. Chapter Two

**This story got a BUNCH of hits. More than my other story, actually, and I actually got a review ( jansails. Thank you SO much for taking time out of your day to review my story)**

 **So, I decided to keep writing, after being unsure if I wanted to follow up immediately.**

 **And remember to keep leaving reviews, because they give me an incentive to write, and remember to leave a follow or fav if you want more.**

 **fajitaprincessa**

 **()()()()()()()**

I never had a lot of friends when I was younger.

Not even now, really. Through the years, between being moved back and forth between Charlie and Renee, miles apart, working flimsy jobs at cafes and babysitting to pay for my mom's prescription drugs, and making sure Charlie dust drown in his own vomit and alcohol, I never really made time for people in general.

No, and I was always okay with that. I managed to push away the cold feeling of being alone by burying myself in books and coffee and sitting around with my mom, listening to her slurring words, talking her down after she would wake up screaming after a nightmare. I would sit across from Charlie at the dinner table and at least try to talk to him, at least before he went into some alcohol-induced coma.

I was always okay with occupying myself with my family, putting an extra few dollars on the kitchen counter, trying to keep us together, try to make it feel as though we were something like a family.

But after years of keeping myself hidden, years of occupying myself with thoughts of if my mom had taken her drugs today or if Charlie would make it to live another 24 hours, people start to questions and people start to pry.

Jessica Stanley was something like a friend to me. Of course, we only ever talked during school, and sometimes we would cross paths at the Newton's Sporting Goods Store, but other than that, we weren't that close.

One day, while emptying out the contents of my locker, preparing to find home and make dinner for mom, Jessica stopped me. "Do you feel like hanging out this weekend?"

The question itself catches me off guard, considering the fact Jessica or anyone for that matter had ever approached me with the intent of asking me to spend time with them. But I said no, saying that my mom would be worried if I didn't get back home soon enough.

"Really?" Jessica frowned slightly, her brown eyes scanning my face. "Oh." She runs her fingers through her brown hair. "Are you sure?"

I closed my locker. "Yeah. I have to make sure she's eating right, you know. Her pains meds sometimes make her lose her appetite, so..."

"Doesn't it ever get tiring..." Jessica said suddenly, perking up again. I froze, pressing my lips into a fine line. She back pedaled, eyebrows raised in questions. "You know, having to constantly take care of someone?"

I swallowed. "Well, someone has to do it-"

"But like," Jessica's lips turn up slightly and her brown eyes are narrowed slightly. "Doesn't it ever... well, make you wanna go crazy?" She laughed lightly, shaking her head in disbelief. "I know I couldn't do it. Shit, if I had to constantly watch over someone like that I'd fucking. Go. Insane."

Jessica has to know she's crossed a boundary saying that, but that's Jessica, unfiltered, slightly apathetic, sometimes cold and uncaring. She had to have seen the way my fingers gripped my books and how I was grinding my teeth. But there's still this sly look on her face, even though she's trying her hardest to look concerned.

"No," I said, finally, letting out a sigh of exasperation. "It's fine. It makes me feel good to know that I can help out."

Jessica stared at me for a few moments, balancing on the balls of her feet, before shaking her head again, chuckling. "If you say so, Bella." Someone shouts her name and few seconds later, Mike Newton's head peeks from around a corner. "Gotta go, Bells. Tell your mom I said hi."

She runs to Mike, placing a kiss on his cheek, and Mike waved at me. "You coming?"

I shook my head, and Jessica shrugged, nudging him, urging him to hurry up and leave with her. Mike's eye linger on my face before he smiles and waves me a goodbye. "See you around then, Swan," and he leaves, Jessica giggling at his side.

That same night, as I'm hovering over the kitchen counter, shaking out meds for my mom, my hand tighten, my mind having drifting to Jessica's words earlier that day.

Shit, if I had to constantly watch over someone like that I'd fucking. Go. Insane.

"Bella?" My mother cooed from the living room. "Bella, are you okay?"

What does she know, I thought, stuffing the bottle of pills into a counter and gripping the capsules. About me. About my family...

"My pills, Bella."

I freeze.

Is that all I am? A babysitter?

It's selfish, I know. But I've had to sacrifice- friends, someone to love me- for my parents. For Charlie's addiction, I've had to give up so much, so much to force bottles out of his hand, to pick him up at bus stops after a late night of drinking. For Renee's pains, making sure she slept good, making sure she ate, bathing her, rousing her out of sleep to drink water to take her pills...

If Renee, or Charlie, just... just died, would life for me be that bad...?

... would it?

()()()()()()

"Sometimes I think Mike doesn't even really like me. Really, I think he only likes my ass..."

Jessica chats away in my ear as Angela walks close beside me, talking about some new bookstore she found in Seattle.

I can describe Angela as being much more sincere and compassionate than Jessica. There have been times in the middle of the night when I've woken her up and cried to her on the phone, and times when she's had to drive me to the hospital with shallow cuts and dark bruises from Charlie's alcohol-induced fury.

Really, Angela's the only person I'll miss when everyone leaves for college this year and I stay here, waking up to the same walls, same morning gloom.

"... I really wished you would've been able to come with me, Bella," Angela said, a sad smile crossing her face. I nudge her.

"Maybe if you're good I'll spend a night out with you before you leave for college," I said and laughed. She smiled.

"It's not too late to apply to FSU, Bella. You don't have to stay here," Angela said, gripping my hand. "Listen, you have really good grades. There's no way they'd turn you down-"

"Bella has parents she needs to take care of, Ang," Jessica interrupted, her eyes glancing over to me, a smile gracing her face. "Besides, we'll write."

Oh, Jessica.

"Maybe Mike will get accepted into UCLA, too, Jess, you know, so you won't have to drive down here all the time to see him." She clenched her jaw. "I mean, I know state rejected him, but I mean, if he applies himself good enough this year-"

Jessica was so close to whipping around and spitting back another cruel remark, disguised in that sugary-sweet tone of hers, no doubt something about my mother, or my dad, or my pathetic excuse for a life, sugarcoated so Angela wouldn't catch in to the demeaning undertones in it. But before she even had the chance to snap back, a locker slams shut loudly and I jump.

A tall boy with longish hair and copper skin walks into view, a backpack slung over his shoulder. He walks right past the three of us, but not before giving us all a once-over, his dark eyes locking onto my face. He flashed me a grin.

"Nice scar," he said, gesturing towards the line going through my right eyebrow, before he continues off.

Angela, after the stranger walks off, lets out a breath, then, she grins, laughing a little. "Looks like Bella has an admirer now, huh?"

I shove her playfully, but I still do look behind me at the disappearing mane of dark hair. "He was okay."

Jessica remains silent, no doubt still angry, bitter at not being able to bite back at me. "Mike's probably waiting for me. I told him I'd go off campus with him at lunch." Jessica shot Angela a look. "You coming, Ang?"

Angela shook her head. "I think I'll hang with Bella. You go on, though," and she slung an arm around my shoulders, grinning ear to ear.

Jessica looked like she wanted to stay, to say somethint, but then she seemingly decided against it and shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, then walked off.

Angela waited until she was out of earshot before she said," She's just jealous because for once, she's not the center of attention."

"What are you talking about?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Really, Bella? That guy was totally checking you out!"

"Him?" I scrunched my eyebrows together and laughed. "That's rich, Angela."

"Maybe. But I mean, he just totally ignored Jessica and me. Maybe Jess finally has competition."

I'm not entirely joking when I answer Angela.

"Maybe so..."

()()()()()()()

 **Remember to fav, follow, and/or leave a review to let me know if you want me to continue writing.**

 **\- Fajitaprincessa**


	4. Chapter Three

**I dedicate this chapter to jansails(2 reviews from you! Please stick around, haha!)**

 **Also, this story will not feature ANY new characters. All of the characters in this story will remain characters who were featured or mentioned in the Twilight Books/Movies.**

 **P.S- I was slightly conflicted when writing the end of this chapter, but decided against moving certain events to later chapters, because I feel as though it was essential for moving to more of a plot later on in the story.**

 **So, without further ado, I give you chapter four! And remember, reviews are ALWAYS welcome (unless it's hate. Then, keep that negative shit to yourself)**

* * *

I spent the rest of the night with Angela, talking with her, pouring over old magazines in her attic and doing math homework, before I managed to tear myself out of her arms and start back home.

Before I left, Angela hugged me again for what seemed like the 20th time. "You have to hang out with me again. There's only, like 4 months until graduation, and I want to spend more time with you before I leave."

I smiled and gave Angela a peck on the cheek. "Yeah, yeah of course!" And then I hugged her, tightly, burying my face in her thick brown hair. "Shit, I'm gonna miss you so much."

She gave me a squeeze. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Bells."

We just stood there for a moment, hugging, before I pulled apart, my mind racing, face flushed with heat, a warning sign that I was about to cry.

Did it really have to be like that? Was it really going to be me staying, then, here, while everyone else moved on. Hasn't my goal all these years been to get out of this town, far away from all of... all of this? For years, I've told myself that one day, I'd leave. Ever since I've known Angela, when we were younger, I told her countless times how we would go to college together, someone far, far away from all of this nothingness.

Empty promises, then?

I couldn't take it anymore, the thought of all those years talking about leaving being nothing more than dreams on my part, the dreams of a silly little girl. Immediately, I break apart from Angela's hand that was gripping mine, and began to walk to my truck. Angela shouts my name. "Bella!"

"I'll call you later, Angela," I said, hopping into my truck and jamming the key in the ignition. I'm trying so hard to blink back tears of pain.

I need a drink. I need a drink, fast.

Once I'm out of Angela's driveway, I quickly make a U-turn and turn down the narrow, winding street, the opposite direction from the usual route I usually take home. But I'm not going home, at least not now, anyways.

I make way over to the other side of town, where I always go to pick up Charlie's booze, and cruise down a dark, dimly lit street.

It's getting late, so around this time of night, you begin to see stragglers- drug addicts, teenagers looking to have a good time- and I'm sure that I look out of place here, because it's a small town where everyone knows where everyone lives, and I'm careful to keep my hair down over my eyes and my windows up to keep anyone from seeing my face. The sheriff's daughter being caught on this side of town wouldn't exactly help my dad's reputation.

After a few more minutes of cruising, I slow down and slowly turn into the sparsely filled lot of a shoddy bar. The windows have pictures of half naked models plastered on them and a few younger-looking people are outside, taking slow dregs from their cigarettes.

I hopped out of my truck and stuffed my hands into my pockets. There's a pudgy bouncer standing outside, but he pays me no mind, instead opting to talk to a thin blond with green eyes. I slipped past them both and into the bar.

It smells like beer. Beer and sweat and there's this nearly overwhelming scent of cigarettes. It's slightly crowded, so I bump into a few people on my way to the bar. A boy with curly brown hair bumps into me and his sweaty palms rub against my thigh. He grinned crookedly. "Sorry there," he said, leaning in. "Hey, do I know you?"

"Nope," I said, and quickly pushed past him, quickly making my way through the crowd to lose him.

Finally, I made it to the bar. A bald man with about twenty tattoos approaches me, smiling. "What do you want?"

I dig around in my pocket for my wallet and lay a five on the bar. "Two beers... please." He raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you allowed to be drinkin', sweetheart?"

I pursed my lips. "I can take my money back if you're gonna be like that."

He shakes his head and takes my five, disappearing behind two double doors before coming back and setting two ice-cold beers down in front of me. "Enjoy."

I pop it open and chug three mouthfuls before I slam it back on the counter, my throat burning, eyes watering. That's vile.

I can understand the appeal though. Well, at least to Charlie. The bitter taste is overshadowed by the fuzzy feeling I get. In the crowd dancing I can see Jessica, dancing with Mike, kissing and grinding on each other. I see a boy in the back, yelling at a girl, shoving her. A trio of men are arguing with each other, screaming and shouting and pushing.

I'm leant back against the counter, enjoying the cool surface against my skin, taking long swig from my beer can, when I feel a hand close over my thigh.

"Funny seeing you here, Bella..."

My eyes shot open and when they do, I'm staring face to face with a boy with green eyes and messy, bronze hair. "Ed... Ed-"

He grabbed the beer can out of my hand and chuckled. "What are you doing here?"

I swallowed, resisting the urge to snatched back my can of beer, and jutted my chin out, trying my hardest to look at least a little sober. "Drinking."

He nods, a smirk still gracing his face. "Here?" He shakes his head, leaning over me. "Expected better from you, little girl."

I flushed. "I am not a child!" I pushed him, but in the process lost my balance. He grabbed my elbow and pulls me up so I'm leaning against him. I can feel the rumbling in his chest as he laughed.

"Shit, I just can't handle you this drunk, Bella," he laughed.

"Let me go!"

"Why, so you can fall flat on your face?" He sat me in a bar stool, still close to me, his warm breath fanning my face. He smelled like cigarettes and burning wood. "I think I like you better like this..."

I could smell the alcohol on him, too, and maybe something sweet, something fruity. His long, nimble fingers ghosted on my thigh and he's staring at me, green eyes twinkling. "Why are you here?"

I looked away. At first, I don't want to tell him, but then I sighed, then looked at him and shrugged. "I'm kind of in the middle of a crisis right now. School... college, really.

He threw his head back and let out a few laugh. "Now you see why I gave up on that a long time ago."

My eyes widened. "You don't go to school?"

He shrugged. "Who needs school when I can have so much more fun here?"

I snorted. "And what fun is that?"

He leaned in close, his breath tickling my ear. "Picking up pretty drunk girls in bars."

I shuddered and I could feel him grinning against my ear. His long fingers gripped my thigh. "You shouldn't be here, Bella..."

This was dangerous, me being here, drunk, with no one to drive me home. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

"You know, Bella, I can be a very good distraction during the worst of times," Edward purred.

I pushed myself onto my feet, gripping the edge of the car to balance myself. "I'm fine. I just need to go home, that's all."

He snorted, grabbing my arm. "You're drunk."

I pulled my arm back, shoving him. "I am fine."

I pushed past bystanders, Edward following close on my heels. I made my way outside, into parking lot, where I could see Jessica and Mike stumbling towards Tyler's van, Tyler leaning against it, lighting a cigarette.

"Bella... Bella calm down-"

"Leave me alone!" I shouted. Immediately, Jessica's attention shifts from Mike's neck to me, but I'm too drunk to attempt to hide myself.

Edward grabbed me, roughly pulling me back so I was pressed against the building. "Are you crazy?"

I tried to knee him in the groin but he kicked my leg back down. He shook his head. "Where are your keys?" I remained defiant and he let out an indignant growl. He reached into my pockets and I struggled. Finally, he pulled out the rusted keys to my truck and his eyes scanned the parking lot. "Which car?" I didn't answer.

"I don't need you to drive-"

Edward squeezed my arm, gritting his teeth. "Unless you wanna end up being a permanent mark on the fucking street, I suggest you point out which car it is to me."

I bit my lip, angry, then gestured towards the old, beat up pickup in the lot.

Edward dragged me to my car ad Jessica's eyes followed me, and eventually Mike and Tyler were looking at me, too.

Edward opened the passenger door first and slid me inside. Then, he climbed in the driver's seat. "Wow. This is... shitty."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, whatever."

Edward chuckled, then pulled out of the parking lot. I leaned back in my seat and snuggled down into the worn leather, curling up into a ball, my eyes drooping.

"You'll have to tell me wear you live, Bella," Edward said.

So for the next 15 minutes or so, he weaved through traffic as I walked him through the different roads and exits to take so we could get back into Forks. Through my haze of drunkenness, I stared at his face, from his thick, dark eyebrows, to his full lips and sharp jaw. I looked at his fingers, long and nimble, gripping the steering wheel. And I just loved to stare at the mess that was his hair and the way he would get frustrated and push it out of his face.

Beautiful.

But you could still see the deep circles underneath his eyes from years of drug abuse, and the lack of color in his skin.

"You just gonna stare at me or are you gonna say something?"

I stayed quiet, too tired to shoot back at him with a smart remark, and rested my head against the cool glass of my window.

"I know what it's like," Edward said quietly. "Having to give up so much for people, losing people." He turned towards me for a moment. "It's not worth it?"

I shook my head. He sighed. "Why do you even bother?"

I turned to him. "What?"

He snorted. "Caring about people?"

I don't answer.

So, we ride in silence, occasionally stopping at a red light, moving through winding streets, before Edward pulls a few blocks down the street from my house. "Home sweet home, Bella."

"How are you gonna get home?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Friends. I could always call a cab if they bail on me."

We sat there and raindrops began dotting my windshield. I watched Edward run his fingers through his hair and his tongue shoot out to moisten his lips. His eyes flickered towards me and a crooked smirk graced his face. "What?"

Then, without thinking, I lean in, pecking him on the mouth once, pulling back, my face hot and red. I'm surprised by my actions, and I'm sure Edward is, too. "I-I'm sorry. I was trying to say thank-"

He cuts me off, leaning in too fast for me to register, and gently presses his lips against mine, a hand reaching up to brush stray strands of hair from my face. His fingers are cool and rough, but his movements are slow, gentle, and when he pulls away, he's grinning, eyes lidded.

"You're welcome."

The rain is falling harder by now, and, after just sitting in my seat, staring, still drowsy from the alcohol in my system, I smiled.

He sat back in his seat, closing his eyes. "You and me Bella... you..." he shook his head. "I'll see you around, strange girl."

Then, he zips up his hoodie and hops out of the driver side, disappearing down the block into a slowly growing mist.

After watching him disappear, I managed to get my truck into my garage without crashing into anything, and tried my best to find my way to my room, stumbling slightly, trying to swallow down all of the alcohol that was trying to make its way back up.

After finding my room and flopping down onto the bed, I listened to the light snoring of Renee and Charlie and the room next to mine, my lips still burning from where Edward had pressed his lips against mine.

See you around, strange girl...

I dreamt for the first time in months, all about him.

All about Edward.

* * *

 **As I said before, I was slightly unsure about having both Bella and Edward kiss in this chapter, but decided to keep it in and not wait until later chapters. Anyways, now I can REALLY start getting this show on the road.**

 **So, don't forget to review, because reading your reviews gets me all happy inside. (Also, sorry about the length of the chapter, kind of wanted to split it uo, kind of didn't).**

 **And to all of you who DID review, I really appreciate it. Like, ALOT. So keep reviewing and give me as much constructive criticism, haha.**

 **Until next time, guys!**

 **\- Fajitafeminist**


	5. Chapter Four

**Before this chapter kicks off, I'm compelled to advertise my OTHER stories. And by other stories, I mean one story posted under my fiction press account (which has the same username as my fanfiction account). It's called Never Hungover Again, and I just posted it, so if you feel like it, feel free to read it.**

 **Also, this chapter is slightly shorter than the others, and it's kind of like an interlude to later events.**

 **And also, thank you guys. Thank you for reviewing, thank you for being so dedicated to my story. Whenever I feel like skipping out on writing a chapter, I think of you guys, so thank you guys for being my inspiration.**

 **Xxx**

 **Chapter Five**

The first thing that registered when I woke up the next morning was the violent headache that threatened to bust open my skull. I threw my covers off my body and darted to my bathroom, emptying the contents of my stomach.

I laid by the toilet for a few minutes, my throat burning. As I wretched and my body shook with chills, a hazy memory shot through the dizziness and pains going through my body.

Edward's lips pressed against mine.

It could have easily been the alcohol. I had down nearly two beers and Edward wasn't exactly sober as he led me to my car last night. Even when we kissed, I could still taste the alcohol on his lips and smell it-along with the smell of cigarettes- on his clothes.

Yet, a small part of me is hoping that Edward won't think that. Is it possible that right now, Edward is sitting next to his toilet, skin covered in sweat, thinking of it, too? Does he even remember last night?

"No," I whispered, swallowing hard. But my mind- the teenage girl inside me- says otherwise.

Yes.

So, instead of wallowing in vomit and sweat, I take a shower, rubbing my skin raw, trying to push the memory of last night from my thoughts and tiptoe downstairs, where my mother is lying on the couch, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Bella?" Renee stirred and in the blink of an eye I'm beside her. "Bella.." her hand squeezed mine and I kissed her forehead. "Bella... Bella... my sweet Bella..."

That's all she says before she slips back into dreamland. I kiss her cheek and then stand, making my way to the kitchen, when my house phone rings.

I answer it, only to hear the frantic shouting of Angela on the other end. "Bella! Bella?"

"Angela?" I propped myself on the kitchen counter. "Angela are you okay?"

There's a long pause before a shaky laugh comes from the other end. "Am i..." Angela sounds breathless. "Am I okay?" Angela laughed in disbelief. "Bella, you scared the shit out of me!"

I'm confused. "What? Angela, I don't know-"

"-Turn it onto the news, Bella. Channel nine."

I shook my head. "Ang-"

"Channel nine."

I rolled my eyes, hopping of the counter and picking the remote up from the coffee table. I switch on the TV and flip through channels before landing on the local news station, where a blond women is speaking.

I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking at and I'm prepared to tell Angela off before I realize the blond woman is standing in front of a seedy, rundown old bar. The seedy, rundown old bar, the one I stumbled from last night after drinking my sorrows in cheap, three-week old beer.

Words flash on the screen quickly and my mouth dries as I read in big, bold letters TEENAGE GIRL FOUND IN DITCH 5 BLOCKS AWAY, MUTILATED, GUNSHOT WOUND TO HEAD.

"What..." I blinked about twenty times, unable to comprehend. "Ang-"

"Jessica... Jessica saw you Bella. She said- she said you were with some guy and that you were drunk and..." Angela's choking on the other line. "I tried calling you, but you wouldn't pick up. You left your phone and-" Angela broke down, sobbing loudly on the other end. "My dad told me early this morning. Some girl our age got mugged. They... they tortured her Bella. My dad said that they must have beat her with some sort of chain..."

"When?"

"Early in the morning," she answered. Angela calmed down. "They found her naked, by the side of the road, cut up and beaten."

I'm too shocked to even move. The thought of some girl, walking home, getting mugged, being tortured near the side of the road, then stripped and left there like some sort of toy stirs something inside of me, makes me want to run upstairs and puke up whatever's left inside me.

Here. In Forks?

It's too sinister to comprehend. Of course, people have died here, been murdered, but usually only to bar fights, the occasional animal attack, car accidents. But not this. Never this.

"I'm scared, Bella," Angela croaked from the other end. "Nothing like this has ever happened here before. Something like this is just... just evil. And whoever did this is still out there."

"I'll come by later, Ang," I said. "We can go up to Port Angeles, spend the day their. It's just this once, Ang. They'll catch the guy. Okay?"

It took her a while to respond, but eventually agrees. I tell her that I can't wait to see her, and then she tells me to be careful before hanging up.

My mind first goes to Jessica, who undoubtedly is probably talking to Lauren, or Mike, or maybe even cruising to my dad's job to let it slip where I was last night.

But then I think about the mangled body of a young girl on the side of the road, dead, naked, and how the thought of something like that happening here is too horrifying, too disgusting.

I go to the kitchen and gulp down a few glasses of water, trying to rid my mouth from the taste of vomit, and then I go upstairs and slip on some clothes, ready to go meet Angela.

For now, the thought of Edward is gone from my mind, temporarily replaced by the thoughts of a girl, thrown into a ditch, naked, tortured. I'm thinking about how so suddenly, Forks doesn't feel as safe and as boring as it was before, and I can feel this type of fear-induced adrenaline pumping through my veins at the thought of a killer roaming the streets.

Somewhere, a murdering is lurking in the shadows, poised to strike again. In a matter of hours, Forks has transitioned from a quiet, sleepy town, to the home of a murderer, who will undoubtedly strike again when faced with the fact that Forks Police is a disgruntled mess as of now.

Who's next?

My body feels hot with fear at the possibility of it being anyone. Me, Angela, Jessica...

Anyone.

For the first time in years, I didn't think of Forks as being boring at all.

 **xxxx**


	6. Chapter Five

**Okay, so since this is an actual chapter, I just wanna say sorry for skipping out on the updates last week. I just was having a little writer's block, and I wasn't very comfortable in how subsequent chapters came out, and I came close to just starting from scratch. But I didnt. And I'm sure you guys wouldn't have appreciated that, so yeah.**

 **And now, I present to you, chapter six!**

 **Xxx**

 **Chapter Six**

I remember growing up here, in Forks, so bored, and I remember hating my mother- hating her more than Charlie- for dragging us down here, dragging me down here, trapping me here.

But I guess she had her reasons. I mean, I guess back then, she really had to have loved Charlie. They must have really been in love. I'm guessing Renee had to have thought that moving down here would give her that sense of security she had been longing for and that she'd finally get what she had always wanted.

A family.

Back then, Charlie was still exhibiting the same traits, but he wasn't the full-fledged alcoholic he was now. And I guess when you love somebody, it makes it hard to see who they really are underneath it all, because you can't even think straight with how wonderful you feel.

And I know that even now, Renee still loves my dad. Or, at least, the idea of him. I can see it in her eyes, when, on some occasions, my dad's sober enough to give my mom her meds and sit down with her. I know she must remember the man she met in high school who wrote her cheesy love poems and brought her flowers.

Things change though. Or at least people do. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Maybe this place has always been the same. Maybe it's just the people that are changing.

...

Angela didn't come to school on Monday. I guess she was worked up with shock that she just stayed home, which kind of bummed me out because hanging out with her in Port Angeles was pretty damn fun.

Jessica was at school though, gossiping to anyone who would listen. When she saw me, her eyes narrowed slightly and she smiled. "Oh my gosh! Bella!" She wrapped her tiny arms around my waist. "I'm so happy to see you! You know, I was this close to thinking that maybe that girl on the news was you..." She looked behind her to Lauren. "I mean, who would've thought that the sheriff's daughter liked to hang around at places like that." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Crazy..."

I shrugged, breathing even breaths to keep from going off. "I was having a rough night."

"Really?" Jessica threw her head back and laughed. "So I guess you decided to find somebody to make it all go away, huh?" I froze.

Edward.

She must've noticed me tense up and she pressed, Lauren drawing closer to listen in more. "I mean, like, picking up strangers in bars?" She clucked her tongue and shook her head. "Daddy wouldn't approve."

I slammed, making Lauren and her jump, and then smiled. "Well, he doesn't need to know, now does he?"

I don't mean it to come out like a threat, but I can tell by the way Jessica recoiled backwards, slightly shocked, that there must have been a menacing edge to my voice.

She doesn't say anything, instead deciding to drag Lauren off out of sight, brushing past me with a cool "bye".

The bell sounded for 5th period, but I decided against going, instead slipping past groups of students and making my way outside in the student parking lot.

I opened the door to my truck, throwing my bag inside and hopping in on the passenger slide, slipping off my flats and resting my head against the window, sighing.

With Jessica's mention of Edward, my stomach feels like it's been pumped full of helium. Despite being drunk off my ass last night, I can still vividly recall the heat of his lips on mine and his calloused fingers brushing against my face.

"You're welcome." It wasn't anything more than a kiss of gratitude, for him driving me home and dropping me off, and when he leaned back in, he had simply been returning the favor, albeit a bit... intensely.

I shook my head. Who knows when I might see Edward again? Who's to say he hasn't hitchhiked out of town with buddies of his somewhere else?

Probably. And I would deal with it, because having silly little crushes was never something I liked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a tall figure move and instictively, I ducked, but now before a stranger with copper skin and dark eyes had seen me and run over to press their face against my window.

"Hey," he knocked, voice muffled. "Hey, I'm sorry for scaring you. I just need a light." He waved, smiling. "You got one? A lighter?"

Slowly, I sat up, sighing. I climbed into the drivers seat and opened the door. "No," I said. "Sorry. I don't smoke." His face dropped.

"Oh." He looked dissapointed before a moment before his face brightened. "Hey, I know you." He snapped his fingers then pointed his index finger at my left eyebrow, where a scar ran through the hair. "You're that girl I saw in the hallways last week."

Looking at his features- dark hair, dark eyes, copper skin, and a boyish, innocent grin- I gave a small smile. "Oh! Yeah!" I ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah, it's me."

"Sweet!" He looked around, then stuck out his hand. "I'm Jacob, by the way."

My smile became much more natural now. "Bella." I grabbed his hand. It was warm.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." Jacob pulled his hand back and stuffed it into the pocket of his leather jacket. "Well, it was nice meeting you again, Bella," he answered. "See you around, yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah, yeah you too, Jacob." I watched him swivel around then walk away. I flexed my fingers, still feeling the warmth of his hand around my fingertips.

Huh.

...

When I got home that night, Charlie was standing in the middle of the kitchen, arguing loudly with Renee, who was leaning on the kitchen counter for support, screaming back

"Whoa... whoa!" I placed myself in between the two and Charlie snarled. Yelling, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close. "Da-"

"Where is it?" He shouted, spit flying into my face.

I stared back at him in shock. "What?"

"You know," he screamed back. He smelled like cigarette buds and sweat. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't shit with me Bells." He shook me and I felt like I was gonna vomit. "Where the fuck is my liquor?"

I swallowed. Of course. I don't know how buying Charlie's liquor for this week skipped my mind, but it did, probably because that Friday I was too busy being drunk and that Saturday morning I was too busy being hungover.

"Dad," I said, placing a hand on his chest. "Dad, I'm sorry, okay. But I can go out and get some-"

Charlie didn't let me finish. Instead, he brought his fist across my face, forcing me down to the floor. He stood over me and then, for good measure, kicked me in the gut twice. I wheezed, clutching my stomach, feeling warm blood seep from my mouth.

"Next time," he said," I won't be so gentle." He turned back to Renee and I heard her whimper. "I'm going to bed. Make sure you bring up my steak," and then he left.

When he was out of earshot, Renee crouched down to tend to my wounds but I hissed. "No," I croaked. "Get away."

"Bella-"

"-You better get Charlie's steak," I said, sitting up,"Before he gets you, too." I gave her a smile. "I'm a big girl, mom. I'm fine. It didn't even really hurt. Now get his steak, please."

There was this expression in her eyes that I couldn't quite read, but I knew that she was on the brink of tears when she stood and turned away from me, bustling around and pulling a steak out of the fridge. Before walking upstairs, she looked back at me.

"I'm sorry, bella..." if she had been any quieter, I wouldn't have been able to hear her, but I did, and I didn't say anything. I let her go, and just sat there, blinking back tears, hauling myself onto my feet, gritting my teeth at the pain in my gut.

I grabbed my keys off the counter and slipped on my windbreaker, slipping outside quietly.

I didn't even get in my truck. Instead, I just walked, and walked some more, and walked so much that I couldn't even see our cul-de-sac anymore. It had started raining, but I just walked faster, soaked to the bone in rainwater.

I've gotta leave here. Gotta leave here for good.

Any thoughts of leaving, though, stopped as soon as I though of Renee being here, alone with Charlie, who was prone to bouts of rage. The thought of him raining down blows onto her fragile body was too much to bear.

I'd die before I'd let mom go through that.

So I settled for walking far, far away for now, and thankfully, the cold from the rain soothed the pain in my face. I continued on, ignoring passing cars and it wasn't until blinding headlights flashed directly behind me that I stopped, pausing.

"Didn't think you liked long, cold walks, Bella." I heard a chuckle and a car door open. I gritted my teeth and kept walking. "Bella?" A hand grabbed my shoulder and I shrugged it off. "Bella!"

I turned around and roughly shoved him, screaming. "What? What do you want?"

Edward fell flat on his ass, and he stared up at me, his eyes wearing an expression I had never imagined seeing on him. Surprise.

"What! What!" I was yelling now, and I didn't care that by now, I was crying. "Come to play some more mind games with me?" And rubbed at my face. "Bet you wanted to make out some nore, huh?"

He just laid there and that just made me angrier. So, I ran up to him and hovered over him, so that I was pounding on his chest, sobbing and heaving and looking utterly pathetic no doubt. "What? What? What?"

He reached up and grabbed my wrists. I snarled, more tears falling as I failed around and twisted in his grip until I was weak and powerless in his grip. Then, he stood, bringing me with him, walking me over to the backseat of his van and pushing me in.

He got in the front sest, strapping himself in. He turned to look back at me, then, and as if on cue, a sardonic grin came across his features. "Rough night, huh?"

"What do you know about it," I bit back. He chuckled. He fucking chuckled and I was stricken by the sudden urge to bring my fist back and break that fucking nose of his.

"A lot, actually." He turned back around. "Some asshole nearly kicked my off and ran off with my stash." He turned back around, smirking. "He didn't get far, though."

Smiling wryly, I tilted my head, inquiring. "What did you do to him?"

He just stared at me, smirking. So, I moved along.

"Will you-"

"-Take you home. Already on it-"

"-No!" I said fiercely. He jumped and looked back at me, eyebrows furrowed. "No... no I want... I need somewhere else to go. Just for the night. Just until tomorrow. Do you know a place?"

Silence greeted me, then Edward's deep laugh broke through and finally, he turned back around fully, crawling into the backseat so his face was inches from mine. "What's a favor between friends," he answered, then, he placed a quick peck on my cheeks.

As Edward placed his car in drive and began to take off, I leaned my he'd against the cool glass window and closed my eyes.

I didn't mind that this was only temporary, leaving my home. But for tonight, even if only for a few hours, I could pretend that what I had back home didn't even exist.

For tonight, I could live something different than the suffocating nightmare that waited for me back home.

 **xxx**

 **Going back to my writer's block, I turn to music sometimes whenever I lack inspiration, and a lot of these chapters were influenced by songs. I even have a Playlist titled Midtown Beauty, which contains all of the songs I drew inspiration from as of now, and it's growing.**

 **Midtown Beauty**

 _ **Wild- Troye Sivan**_

 _ **Fools - Troye Sivan**_

 _ **Suburbia- Troye Sivan**_

 _ **Blue- Marina and the Diamonds**_

 _ **Wake up- Eden**_

 _ **Sex- The 1975**_

 _ **Head. Cars. Bending- The 1975**_

 _ **Settle Down- The 1975**_

 **xxxx**

 **Fajitafeminist**


	7. Chapter Six

**Woohoo! SEVEN CHAPTERS! Things are finally picking up and I'm really hopeful for future events and finally writing some good 'old angst and tragedy and shit, so yay!**

 **And now, chapter seven!**

* * *

 **** **** **Chapter Seven**

"I'm sorry it's such shit."

After parking his van on the side of the road and a ten minute trek through thick undergrowth and trees, Edward brought me to his "special place"- a small, old cabin on the edge of town, miles away from civilization.

I shrugged. "It's okay. I mean, it's no better than my place, so..."

After years of having to endure the fumes of old beer and vomit, I was pretty much used to the old, soddy smell of our home, but that didn't mean I was prepared to let anyone else in. Even Angela, my closest friend, never stepped farther than the front porch, even though she's pushed for a sleepover at my place for years.

"Really, Bella?" Edward raised an eyebrow. "Looked like you live in a fucking mansion," Edward laughed and flipped down on an old beanbag chair in the corner.

"Mm," I said. I made my way around, running my finger along the walls and various tables, pausing at a collection of polaroids. I picked one up, one with the smiling face of a random, older-looking woman. "This your mom?"

He just stared back at me and I snorted. "Mysterious as ever-"

"-yes," he said. He rose and made his way over to me. He plucked the photo from my fingers. "Yeah, it is" He turned the Polaroid over in his calloused hands, examining it. "Esme, her name is Esme."

"Where is she?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Chicago, I think. Or maybe Alaska." He shook his head, tossing the Polaroid back down. "Who knows. Her and my dad go wherever he's needed."

"Are they missionaries?"

"My dad's a doctor. My mom just stays at home." He walked back over to his beanbag chair and flopped back down. "Haven't seen them in years, though. Four, actually." He clasped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Ran away when I was fifteen. I haven't seen them since."

"Why?" I looked down at her face, the smile wrinkles around her eyes. "I mean, what did they do to you...?" I closed my eyes, berating myself. "I'm sorry. That was a personal question."

Edward smiled warily. "I think the real question is what did your parents do to you."

I prodded the swollen flesh around my left eye and winced, then turned away and looked down to stare at discarded bottles of beer and random books collecting dust. "My dad... he's a drunk." I bit my lip. "He can't control himself, sometimes."

"He did that?" Edward asked.

I nodded. "It doesn't even hurt, though. It doesn't hurt..." I tenderly placed my fingers on my face, then I turned to face Edward quickly. "Sometime, I wish he was dead." I pressed my lips together, then backpeddaled. "But then I remember that we- my mom and I- we need him. Even if I don't want to admit it. We'd be on the streets without him..."

"I bet you still love him, though," Edward said.

I felt a peculiar burn behind my eyelids before replying. "Yes." I swallowed. "He's my dad. I couldn't completely hate him if I tried."

Then, breaking through the silence, Edward chuckled lightly, then snorted. "I've forgotten what that's like," he replied,"caring about people."

"You don't love anyone?" I asked incredulously.

"What's the point? Why do you even bother?" He stared up at the ceiling. "Humans- people, we just take and take. We never give back. All we do is kill ourselves and everything around us." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "We're all inherently selfish beings."

I smiled. "That's not true," I argued, thinking of Angela. Kind, sweet Angela.

"Yes it is," Edward retorted. He lit his cigarette and took a long drag. "Just look at the environment, how we kill eachother. Everybody wants something. Nobody's ever just nice for the sake of it. Everyone has means."

"Does that apply to you, too?"

He didn't answer.

"Why'd you bring me here?" I asked. He looked back at me.

"Looked like you needed a helping hand." He stood once again and walked over to me.

"So what are you getting out of this?"

He reached out and lightly touched my forearm. He grasped it firmly. "Who knows? Maybe I'm thinking about long-term benefits rather than... short-term ones."

It didn't phase me. Edward's views on human psych, but it was whatever, because all that mattered was that I had somewhere warm and dry to sleep tonight, not whether Edward would reciprocate my flimsy affections.

"I'm tired," I said and Edward nodded. He kicked over a beanbag chair and then handed me a raggedy blanket with uneven stitching patterns.

"Knock yourself out." He threw his cigarette to the floor and crushed it underneath his boot. He sat down in his beanbag chair on the opposite end of the room and stretched out, yawning. "Goodnight, Bella."

I watched him relax after a few moment of him shifting, then I myself snuggled down into the chair, and shut my eyes.

In between dreamland and reality, I could vaguely register the shuffling of feet, fingers pulling at my jeans, close to my hipbones. When I opened my eyes, I saw through my hazy vision Edward's face, close to mine. He was smiling crookedly.

In the background, I registered another voice, lighter, more feminine.

"Sleep, Bella," Edward cooed to me. "Go back to sleep..."

And I did, soundly.

Xxx

My eyes snapped open.

Quickly, I turned to look around the room, expecting to see Edward curled up asleep, as streams of sunlight were barely breaking through the shutters. But he wasn't there.

The light feeling of my pants, how, when I brushed my hair from my face, I didn't feel the familiar feeling of my earrings in my lobes. My jacket that I remember being strewn across a chair in the front, thrown onto a beanbag, the pockets turned inside out.

Son of a bitch.

I had been robbed.

Edward had robbed me.

And not just of my belongings

* * *

 **Stay turned for more updates, probably more of them, considering the fact that I've just started Spring break and I'll have a lot more free time on my hands.**

 **I'm also really happy and excited, because the story is finally picking up how I wanted it to, so keep reviewing, because you guys motivate me to crank out more of these chapters.**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Short, tiny chapter detailing what happened as Bella slept.**

* * *

 **EDWARD** :

This was wrong.

Edward had never particularly bothered distinguishing with what was "good" or "bad", or what was "right" and what was "wrong". His moral nihilism had made life a lot simpler for him in the four years head been on his home.

But staring down at Bella, sleeping and completely helpless and unaware, made something stir inside of him that felt foreign.

... guilt?

Rosalie coughed behind him and she let out an annoyed sound. "Let's go, Edward."

He shook his head, slipping his fingers into Bella's pocket and pulling out an old, worn wallet with fifty dollars in it and a student ID. He prodded quickly and gently through the rest of them, finding but stray change.

"Her earrings," Rosalie said. "Take her earrings. Those have got to be worth something."

Edward looked back at her and she shrugged. "What? You feeling guilty?"

Edward frowned and she laughed. "Fuck Edward. Don't go getting weak on me now." Rosalie chuckled. "You weren't weak with that methhead at the bar."

Edward clenched his jaw, then reached up and removed the earrings from Bella's ears. Rosalie grinned.

"There wasn't shit in her jacket." Rosalie tossed the windbreaker aside. "I thought you said she was worth something, Edward."

"I did!" He snapped.

Rosalie snorted. "Whatever. Now, that bitch at the bar was worth something.." Rosalie sighed. "Too bad, what happened to her..." she shot Edward a glance and grinned. "Did it make you feel better Edward?"

Edward clenched his fist tightly and stalked up to Rosalie, roughly shoving her against a wall. "Shut up, before she wakes up."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Not like she's a threat or anything. You could easily take care of her." Rosalie walked over to Bella and pointed at her face. "You do that?"

Edward ignored her. Rosalie smirked. "Let's get out of here, Eddie." She brushed against his arm with her fingers and disappeared out the front door.

Yeah, this was wrong.

Edward didn't falter, however, but he did glance back at Bella, sleeping on an old beanbag chair and felt... sorry he guessed.

Sorry for her. Maybe because she had gotten herself involved in all of this shit.

And he sighed, following Rosalie and forcing his eyes off of Bella.

He felt sick. Not guilty, but sick.

And he hadn't felt sick in a long time, so he didn't understand why, all of a sudden, his stomach was churning.

"EDWARD!"

Right, Rosalie was waiting.

So he left, and Bella laid there, stirring slightly. Before he could make it outside, he remembered he had to get his keys, so he doubled back to retrieve them from a nightstand near Bella.

As he reached down to grab them, Bella's eyes fluttered open and she studied him, confused. "Edward?"

Rosalie was shouting for him, but he still took the time to squat down and coax her back into slumber. "Go back to sleep, Bella. Go back to sleep..."

And she did, and then Edward left for real that time, and didn't look back.

* * *

 **This is probably the last I'll update for a few days to a week or two, because I'm gonna try to write the next three chapters before updating, so stay tuned, guys! And thank you ALL for your reviews. I love you guys, and you guys motivate me to be a better writer!**

 **(you guys probably hate me for making Rosalie an antagonist, but someone had to be it)**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Twilight**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

I had to get out of here.

In the quick moments of me waking up and jumping to my feet, I braced myself, prepared for Edward to come back, hoping to find any thing else of value. But after a few minutes of standing completely stil, he didn't come back, and I finally let out an uneasy breath.

I had to get out of here, though. The feeling of emptiness that I had previously felt when waking up had been replaced by a feeling of sickness, and my stomach was churning, and I could feel my face heat up.

I was not going to cry. So I sucked it up, and while there was this sudden, stabbing pain in my chest, I swallowed back any type of whimper and sob and collected my jacket off of the floor and left.

I didn't know where I was going exactly, so I just followed whatever footprints I could make out in the mud and deep, fresh tire prints in the earth before stumbling out of the dense vegetation and near an old, winding road.

The rain storm that had passed through last night left debris scattered everywhere, and a few trees laid snapped on the ground near the road. It was also fairly cool out, so I had to grit my teeth and zip my jacket up and hope I didn't catch hypothermia before I made it to some sort of gas station.

The walk gave me some time to think, which meant I slept and no solid fifteen minutes mentally attacking myself for being such an idiot. Which was also dumb, because I should've actually been angry with Edward, but honestly, I had to accept my own culpability.

Now, I was walking near the side of the road, broke and a feeling of violation surging through me at the thought of Edward stripping me of my belongings as I slept, under the faux pretense that I was somewhere safe for the night.

And when I saw a car edging close to me, I honestly thought of flinging myself in front of it, because I didn't know how I was about to bring myself back from this type of humiliation.

Yet, when I thought I really couldn't feel anymore humiliated than I already felt, the car screeched to a halt right near me, and I honestly wished I would've jumped in front earlier at the face that peeked out at me from the driver's side.

"Bella?"

Angela's brown eyes were wide and shock. "What are you doing out here?"

I gestured at the forest and made a comedic attempt to lighten up the mood.

"Taking a walk. A little hiking, actually." Angela's face remained passive, so I just sighed. "I don't know..."

She unlocked her car doors and I hopped in the front. She pressed her lips together firmly before speaking. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Great. Peachy."

Angela started driving again and as we made our way down the road, she shook her head. "Don't lie to me, Bella." She looked at me. "I'm not Jessica."

"I'm fine, really."

She scoffed and pointed at the bruise on my face. "Jesus Christ, Bella. Look at your face!" She gripped my jacket and nodded towards my clothes. "You look like you've been walking out there all night!" Her eyes widened and her head whipped towards me. "Did something... happen to you, Bella?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and pulled away from her. "What? No!" I swallowed. "At least, not that."

Angela looked unsure of what to say. "Did it... was it that guy?" Her fingers gripped the steering wheel and she looked nervous. "You know, the guy at the bar who Jess saw you with?"

When I didn't answer, Angela pulled over to the side of the road and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close. "Oh, Bella!" It sounded like she was crying. "Oh, Bella. What happened?"

My fingers gripped the front of her sweater and for the first time, I cried. "He used me, Angela."

Angela spent five minutes hugging me and I spent the entire time crying into her shoulder, my body shaking with sobs.

"He took all my things," I said. "He picked me up, last night, after a fight with Charlie. I slept at his place, and he just took everything!" I clutched Angela. "God, I felt so stupid."

Angela leaned back into her seat. "I went looking for you, last night. I thought you wanted a friend. You looked so sad, the last night we were together, so I dropped by." She pointed to the backseat, where a dozen doughnuts sat in a white box. "I was hoping we could hang out together. But then, Charlie answered, and he said you had run of-," she shook her head,"- I was so scared, you know, with what happened to that other girl. I spent all night looking for you."

This time, I hugged her. "I'm sorry," I said. "I was stupid. I'll never do anything like that again." I squeezed her and then we pulled apart.

"I'll drop you off," she said, starting up her car again. But she looked at me again. "What happened to you face, Bella. Did he do that?

"No," I smiled,"a branch. It got me good."

She bought it, so we spent the rest of the drive in silence, taking the road back down into Forks.

Angela dropped me off right outside my house. As I slid out, Angela grabbed my arm. "Your dad, Bella. He can do something about it. He's the sheriff! He'll do something about him, Bella."

"I know," I answered. I closed the door and as Angela pulled off, I waved until her car finally disappeared down the road.

Inside, the house was quiet, save for the slow breathing of Renee. Charlie was strapping up his boots for work when he caught sight of me in the doorframe. He grinned and half walked half stumbled over to me. "How's my sweet girl?"

I have a small smile and he reached out and brushed his thumb against my bruise, which made me jump. "You'll have some when I get back, won't you?"

I nodded and he pulled me into a tight hug. "That's my girl!" He placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek and then walked off. I heard the door slam a few moments later.

It was Sunday, so really, there was nothing for me to do. I could head out a little later to get Charlie's beer, but other than that, I was going to be inside for the rest of the day.

I made my way into my room and switched on the tv, where a news report was going on. I looked at the moving letters at the bottom of the screen. NO LEADS IN CASE OF MURDERED JUNKIE

I was about to change the channel when another headline caught my eye.

STRING OF ASSAULTS ON LOCALS, VIOLENT BEATINGS

A blond haired woman atboutppeared on screen and I watched intently, soaking up the details.

"Yes, Jake. I'm standing right here outside this very pharmacy, where a total of five homeless addicts have been violently assaulted in the past week, three of which were hospitalized due to grievous injuries sustained in muggings..."

The local killer had morphed from a murderer to a local mugger, and while I guess that was supposed to comfort me for the moment- knowing that there wasn't a murderous binge happening in the town- the fear of him escalating again made my skin crawl. It gave me an itch.

An itch I couldn't scratch.

So, I switched off the TV and opted to read for a few hours, but there was still the nagging feeling it side me of uneasiness. Forks now was so different from the Forks I had grown up in years prior, and the fact was that nothing like this had ever occurred here before. These few days had me teetering on edge, worried, mulling over the safety of Angela, or my mom.

But it also gave me this surge of excitment mingled with fear. It was wrong, but it was also... exciting. Riveting, actually, because for the first time, I was seeing Forks in an entirely different way than I ever had before.

But a lose killer still made my skin crawl, and it also made me realize that I had a very short list of people who I was genuinely worried about meeting their end at his hand.

Angela... mom... who else?

Dad?

Charlie was... a cop. Mom spent her days stuck in this house. Angela, however...

I shook my head. No, Angela wasn't an idiot. Roaming the streets at night was never something I'd picture Angela on the otherhand. It was me who thought it was okay to take trips to cabins in the wood with strange boys.

So, I flopped down onto my bed and turned the TV off for good. I stripped out of my wet clothes, down to my underwear, and snuggled deep down into my covers, any thoughts of serial killers or Edward gone from my mind.

* * *

 **Remember to review...**

 **xoxo**

 **And btw, Edward is gone for now, but he'll make a very BIG appearance in later chapters. I promise.**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

School the next day was... for lack of a better word, weird.

The usual buzz of chatter in the halls had lowered to hushed whispers and sneaky glances. Groups of friends stood huddled together, and I saw a few counselors buzzing about, ushering students through the halls and to their offices. Angela, standing close to me, looked uneasy.

"What do you thinks going on?"

I shook my head and shrugged. As we walked towards her locker, Jessica and Mike caught sight of us and Mike flagged us down to where he and Jess were seated, along with Tyler. I was beginning to quickly leave and drag Angela with me, but she urged me towards them as she tugged on my sleeve.

"What's going on?" She asked. "What's wrong with everyone?"

Everyone looked a bit unsure and I could see Jessica look a little uneasy. I looked at Tyler's face, which was shielded by his long, dark hair. Everyone just sat around in silence for a moment before Jessica burst out sobbing and shot off to the girl's bathroom.

"What's wrong?" When no one answered me, I grabbed Mike's shoulder and squeezed. "Mike, tell me."

Tyler broke the silence when Mike didn't. "It's Lauren," he said, finally. "She's... missing."

I furrowed my eyebrows and Angela frowned. Angela looked at Mike. "Missing?"

"Last night," Tyler started, standing up," she left Jessica's house." He looked at Mike, who was just sitting, staring. "We offered to drive her home, you know, because her car was in the shop, but she decided to walk-"

"-her house isn't even that far," Mike interrupted. "It wouldn't have even been a problem for us to take her."

Tyler shifted. "Yeah. But... yeah, she walked. It's just a few blocks, too. Just a few blocks..." Tyler shot a glance to the girl's bathroom. "But anyways, she walked, and we went to pick her up this morning-"

"-cop cars everywhere," Mike said, shaking his head. "Her mom comes outside, screaming. She's all like,"where is she?" and Tyler and Jess and me are confused as shit. She's just yelling at us, and then she grabs Jess and starts shaking her." Mike looked up at Angela and I. "Crazy. We didn't know what she was talking about until this cop tells us that Lauren never made it home. Never even made it to her block."

"That's what everyone's talking about," Tyler said. "With that maniac running loose in town, everyone knows it's him."

"But he only attacks junkies," Angela argued. "Lauren could be... it's not possible... it's not certain..."

"You know, I heard about what happened to that first girl- the first body. My dad has cops friends, and he said that the details they released to the press aren't true. He said the guy actually cut her up. Like, he chopped her into little pieces."

"Stop it, Mike," Angela snapped, but he shrugged.

"It's just, can you imagine that happening to Lauren? Jess would be fucking crushed."

My throat felt dry and hoarse and my tongue felt like sandpaper.

Before anyone else could say anything, the bell rang for first period and Mike sighed, standing to stretch. "I have to check on Jess. I'll catch you guys later."

I tugged on Angela's sleeve and said bye to Tyler. "Lauren, huh?" I murmured thoughtfully. "What are the odds?"

Angela shot me a look. "What are you thinking, Bella?"

I didn't say anything, unsure how to say it, honestly. "It's just... Lauren's not the nicest person, Ang." I turned towards her. "You and I both know that."

"Are you saying we shouldn't be caring about her, then?" Angela asked, a hint of anger in her voice.

I shook my head furiously. "No, it's just... aren't people kind of looking in the wrong direction. I mean, a criminal doesn't just suddenly change their MO. It's possible that it could be, well, one of us."

Angela didn't like that. Her face flushed and she looked around. "Don't say that, Bella."

I rolled my eyes and we started walking again. An uncomfortable silence had settled I'm between us as we walked to AP Biology together.

"They'll find her," I said, attempting to console Angela and smoothe over the tension. I offered a kind smile and squeezed her arm reassuringly. "Lauren's... tough. Just give it a day or two. She'll come popping up in no time."

But even then, with recent events, even I was unsure.

Angela and I didn't drive home together after school. Instead, she opted to drop Jessica off. Mike stopped me at my locker, asking if I needed a ride, and I declined. I could walk.

Except, once I was one of the few people left, I was unsure of myself. I'd never been, well, actually afraid to walk. My home's just a mile away. It's about a fifteen minute walk. I'd walked it about a hundred times.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. There was a maniac on the loose and I thought that walking home was a good idea.

I was thinking over whether or not to call up Mike and ask for a ride when when a voice shouted at me from across the lot. "Yo!"

I turned around and a tall, russet skinned boy was hanging out his window, a grin plastered on his face. I must've looked dumbstruck, so he pointed a finger and said,"Nice scar!"

Recognition shot through me. "Oh!" I shifted awkwardly between feet. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

He took the chance to get out of his car and approach. He held out his hand. "I'm Jacob. Jacob Black." He squinted at me and smiled warmly. "I know you, though." I looked a bit confused and his eyes widened and he flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, shit. Sorry, that was creepy." He scratched the back of his head. "I mean, I know you, because your Sheriff Swans daughter."

I relaxed and I let a smile grace my features, taking his hand in mine. "Well, it's nice to meet you Jacob."

He chuckled lightly. His palms were warm. "Well, I couldn't help but notice you look a little... lost." He gestured to the empty lot. "I can give you a lift if you want."

I bit my lip with **apprehension.** My encounter would Edward, along with the recent disappearance of Lauren, made me wary about accepting rides from strangers.

"Actually... I can, um, call someone..."k trailed off, uncertain. Then, I looked up at Jacob's beaming face and caved. "O-okay. Sure. Thanks."

He jerked his head in the direction of his truck and unlocked the passenger door for me before he climed into the driver's seat. As he pressed the gas, the car lurched and sputtered before jumping forward. "Piece of shit," Jacob muttered.

I laughed. He turned towards me. "So, where am I going?"

As I gave directions, Jacob took the initiative to start up with small talk, asking me a series of small, polite questions. But then, he asked one that made me pause momentarily. "How'd you get that bruise?"

The question flew over my head. "Huh?"

He nodded. "Looks pretty fresh from here. What happened?"

I brushed the light purple skin with my fingers, then let out a sigh. "A branch. I went hiking with some friends over the weekend."

I was expecting him to move on to questions, but his dark eyes just stared on the bruise, and he opened his mouth like he wanted to continue asking about it, but he decided against it and continued driving.

Finally, he pulled up at my house. He out his car in park and shifted so his body was turned towards me. "Home sweet home."

"Yeah." As I was getting out, I closed my eyes, berating myself for forgetting to thank him. "Hey, thanks for the ri-"

"Are you busy Wednesday night?"

I looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"Are you busy... Wednesday night?"

I shook my head. "Why?"

A light flush tinted his cheeks. "There's this thing, at La Push-" he broke off to gesture towards his long hair,"-I'm Native, and every month or so we have these powwows... I was just wondering if, maybe, you'd like to come?"

It was my turn to blush. Jacob watched me.

Huh?

"It's only two to three hours. You'll he home by nine, maybe ten. It starts at sundown."

I managed to **knock** some sense into myself and the gears in my brain started turning again. "Oh! Yeah, yeah that's cool." I laughed, blushing furiously. "That sounds great!"

Jacob looked like he couldn't believe it himself. "Wow, great." He looked down at the steering wheel, then back to me. "I can pick you up right after school."

"That sounds nice, Jacob." He nodded and I closed his door, thanking him again.

As he disappeared down the road, I walked inside with an extra hop in my stride, any memory of Edward or Lauren erased from my mind.

I had a sort-of-kind-of-not-really date with a boy.

A cute boy.

For the first time, I actually felt like a teenager and not some outlier

Things were looking up.

Really, they were.

* * *

 **Hey Guys! So, first off, I just wanna say thank you guys so much for reviewing and consistently showing ya girl some love. Because of your guys involvement and feedback, I've actually been growing more and more excited about this story!**

 **Second, I wanna let you guys know that I have a tumblr! So, if you guys want to ask me questions about the story or whatever, you guys can either PM me on here, or go to my tumblr, which seaofn0thing! So, yeah!**

 **And for the time being, this chapter kind of, sort of, marks the end of the Bella & Edward arc. At least, for a few chapters. But don't worry, Edward will be back AND ready to cause a shit storm in Bella's life again.**

 **xoxo**


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